Yearly Archives: 2018

India has one of the finest and most ancient textile traditions in the world. The Rig Veda and the Upanishads, ancient Indian texts, envisioned the universe as a fabric woven by the gods. Thread and weaving held a hallowed place, linking traditional Indian textiles with divinity. As early as 5000 years ago, the Indus valley…

Discovering Murshidabad A long but smooth journey from Kolkata airport takes me to the banks of River Bhagirathi. Even in the ides of summer the river appears full as it makes its languid journey across the fertile plains of West Bengal. A ferry – planks of wood sturdily tied with jute ropes, placed over two…

Churu was the hub for prosperous Marwari merchants who traded in textile, spices and opium, they travelled across the world and brought back stories of their experiences of the world, and depicted them in paintings on walls outside and inside their havelies (homes) all across the town. Each merchant’s haveli, was a sprawling mansion with…

Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal and a giant of an Indian city, sprawls out over the east side of the Hoogly river. It was the capital of the British Empire in India till 1911, a time when Bengali imagination moved centre stage in the Indian subcontinent and we were enamoured by the masterful Bengali storytellers,…

A POLYPHONOUS CANVAS WHERE MATERIAL MEETS IMAGINATION – by Rajeev Sethi India continues to be the most hand skilled country in the world and has even evolved its own language of hast mudras; where the hands speak in the vocabulary of dance, ritual and eloquent gesture. Although rapidly de-skilling itself, with an unfeeling lack of…

The erstwhile princely city-state of Mysore came into being with the establishment of the Wodeyar dynasty early 15th century and continued for another 450 years until Independence, albeit with a few significant interruptions during the wars between Tipu Sultan and Lord Wellesley during the latter half of the 18th century. More of a pleasant, stately…

A spectacular high-altitude desert in the shadow of the Karakoram Himalaya and a major repository of Tibetan Buddhism, Ladakh’s compelling allure lies in its remoteness and mysticism, its starkly beautiful and forbidding terrain, its remarkable people and its place along the legendary Silk Route. Away from everywhere else, it is a land in which Buddhist…

A day’s journey to Tanjore travelling further south along the coast before turning west into the Tamil heartlands, characterized by lovely and colorful temple towns with deep religious ambiance along the route. The roads through Tamil Nadu are busy and crowded, with everyday and unusual sights that make for interesting stops. The first of the very…

Written by Vidyun Goel On a lazy Sunday afternoon, part of our frequent ritual, my father and I were on an umpteenth visit to the heart of Delhi –Dharampura, Chandni Chowk. Even though I have made peace with the sorry state of Old Delhi ruins, I cannot help but think about wonder about the glorious…

Capturing the bygone days, Camp Chhatra Sagar is perched on a Dam of a reservoir far removed from India’s bustling cities. It is a rural haven, run by the same family who has looked after the property for more than a hundred years, the camp showcases their love for the region. Harshvardhan Singh Rathore is…